Every year thousands of foreign and Amer-ican tourists flock to Virginia to visit theremains of Jamestown, the first perma-nent English settlement in North America.

Crumbling foundations and the ruins of the oldchurch tower mark the site of the originalJamestown, founded in 1607. The decaying brickand mortar offer a striking contrast to the endur-ing principles of self-government inherited fromthe English colonists. This legacy of self-govern-ment enables Americans today to voice their opin-ions without fear of reprisal, to choose theirleaders, and to take an active role in shaping thenation and communities in which they live.

An English Political HeritageDuring the 1600s people from many re-gions, such as Spain, France, Germany,

Sweden, and West Africa, came to North America.Most colonists, however, came from England. Itwas the English who established and governed theoriginal thirteen colonies along the Atlantic coast.

The English colonists brought ideas aboutgovernment that had been developing in Englandfor centuries. They also noticed that some ofthese ideas were embodied by existing governingsystems in North America, such as the IroquoisLeague, a union of five Native American groups.At the heart of the English system were two prin-ciples of government. These principles—limitedgovernment and representative government—greatly influenced the development of the United States.

Limited Government By the time the firstcolonists reached North America, the idea thatgovernment was not all-powerful had becomean accepted part of the English system. The ideafirst appeared in the Magna Carta,1 or Great

The Colonial PeriodS e c t i o n 1S e c t i o n 1

Law and OrderJAMESTOWN, VIRGINIA, 1611

New governor Sir Thomas

Dale, recently arrived

from England, has an-

nounced a sweeping set of

laws for the colony. Called the

“Laws Divine, Morall, and

Martial,” the new rules are

likely to change life here.

Each resident will be assigned

specific duties. Refusal to co-

operate will be dealt with se-

verely. First offenders will be forced to lie down with

neck and heels together for one night. Repeat viola-

tors will be whipped. A third offense will result in

enslavement aboard a convict ship for a period of

one year. Authorities expect the new laws to bring

order and prosperity to the colony.

Sir Thomas Dale

35

Reader’s Guide

Key Termslimited government, representative government,separation of powers

Find Out ■ What events of the early American colonial expe-

rience led colonists to believe they would haverepresentative government?

■ In what ways were the American colonies demo-cratic? In what ways were they not democratic?

Understanding ConceptsGrowth of Democracy What elements of the English political heritage helped develop represen-tative governments in the American colonies?

The Signing of the Declaration of Independence (detail) by John Trumbull, 1824▲

See the following footnoted materials in the Reference Handbook:1. Magna Carta, page 802.

034-041 CH02S1-860053 12/1/04 1:27 AM Page 35

Charter, that King John was forced to sign in 1215.The Magna Carta provided the basis for the principleof limited government, in which the power of themonarch, or government, was limited, not absolute.Later generations interpreted this document asproviding protection against unjust punishment andthe loss of life, liberty, and property except accordingto law. The charter also stated that certain taxes couldnot be levied without popular consent.

The rights in the Magna Carta originally appliedonly to the nobility. Over time, however, opponentsof absolute monarchy used the precedent set bythis document to gain more political liberties andsupport for the idea of constitutional government.

Petition of Right While Parliament main-tained some influence, strong monarchs dominat-ed England for centuries. In 1625 Charles I tookthe throne. He dissolved Parliament, lodged troopsin private homes, and placed some areas undermartial law. When he called Parliament back intosession in 1628, the representatives forced the kingto sign the Petition of Right, severely limiting theking’s power. No longer could the Englishmonarch collect taxes without Parliament’s

consent, imprison people without just cause,house troops in private homes without the per-mission of the owner, or declare martial law unlessthe country was at war.

English Bill of Rights In 1688 Parliament re-moved James II from the throne and crownedWilliam III and Mary II. This peaceful transfer ofpower was called the Glorious Revolution. Williamand Mary swore an oath to govern England ac-cording to the “statutes in Parliament agreed upon,and the laws and customs of the same.” Parliamentalso passed the English Bill of Rights, a documentthat would later be very important to the Ameri-can colonies.

The English Bill of Rights set clear limits onwhat a ruler could and could not do. It appliedto the American colonists—who were Englishsubjects—as well as to the people in England.Incorporating elements from the Magna Carta, thekey ideas of the English Bill of Rights included:(1) Monarchs do not have absolute authority. Theyrule with the consent of the people’s representa-tives in Parliament. (2) The monarch must have Parliament’s consent to suspend laws, levy taxes, or

36 CHAPTER 2: ORIGINS OF AMERICAN GOVERNMENT

One reason for the War for In-dependence was that Britainwas depriving the colonists,

who were British citizens, of repre-sentation. By being represented insome of the various organizationsin your community, you can provideinput to these organizations from astudent’s perspective. Organiza-tions such as crime patrols, com-munity development groups, youthassociations, environmentalgroups, and volunteer organizationshold regular committee meetingsthat make decisions that affectyou. What can you do to be repre-sented in these organizations?

Activity1. Call your chamber of commerce

or local government offices andask for a listing of such organiza-tions mentioned.

2. After you have decided on anissue and a committee that in-terests you, ask to become apart of the committee. You aremore likely to serve as a studentadviser than as a voting mem-ber. As an adviser, though, youwill still have the ability to influ-ence decisions and to provideideas for the future plans of thecommittee.

3. Attend meetings and ask ques-tions when there are issues thatyou do not understand. Providesuggestions for getting thingsdone.

Being Represented

articipatingI N G O V E R N M E N T

articipatingI N G O V E R N M E N T

Participating in their community

034-041 CH02S1-860053 12/1/04 1:28 AM Page 36

Locke reasoned that in a state ofnature (before governments were formed), allpeople were born free, equal, and independent. Hebelieved that the laws of nature, or “natural law,”provided rights to life, liberty, and property. Lockeargued that if a government failed to protect thesenatural rights, the people could change that gov-ernment (social contract theory).

Such political philosophy was revolutionaryin an age when monarchs still claimed they hadGod-given absolute powers. Locke, Voltaire, andRousseau denied that people were born with an obligation to obey their rulers. Rather, in his “Second Treatise of Government,” Locke insisted that:

maintain an army. (3) The monarchcannot interfere with parliamentaryelections and debates. (4) The peoplehave a right to petition the govern-ment and to have a fair and speedytrial by a jury of their peers. (5) Thepeople should not be subject to crueland unusual punishments or to ex-cessive fines and bail.

The colonists in North Americashared a belief in these rights with thepeople of England. In fact, a majorcause of the American Revolutionwas that the colonists felt they werebeing deprived of these basic rights.

Representative GovernmentThe colonists had a firm belief inrepresentative government, a gov-ernment in which people elect dele-gates to make laws and conductgovernment. The English Parliamentwas a representative assembly withthe power to enact laws. It consistedof an upper chamber and a lowerchamber. The upper chamber, calledthe House of Lords, included mem-bers of the aristocracy. The lowerchamber, called the House of Com-mons, included commoners—most-ly merchants or property ownerselected by other property owners.American legislatures grew out of theEnglish practice of representation.

New Political Ideas The ideas and writingsof seventeenth-century English philosophers deeplyinfluenced the American colonists. John Locke,Voltaire, and Jean Jacques Rousseau believed thatpeople should contract among themselves to formgovernments to protect their natural rights.Locke spelled out his political ideas in Two Treatisesof Government,1 first published in 1690. Hiswritings were widely read and discussed in both Europe and America. Colonial leaders such asBenjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and JamesMadison regarded these ideas as political truth.

CHAPTER 2: ORIGINS OF AMERICAN GOVERNMENT 37

The House of Burgesses was the first elected lawmakingbody in the English colonies. The royal governor of Jamestown,Sir George Yeardley, allowed the men ofthe colony to elect representatives to theassembly.

This report of the Virginia General Assembly contains a partial list of the22 men who hoped to be elected toserve as burgesses. The burgessesmade local laws for the colony.

Growth of Democracy What aspects of the English govern-ment influenced the creation of the House of Burgesses?

▲

▲

Beginnings of Representative Government in America

See the following footnoted materials in the Reference Handbook:1. Two Treatises of Government, page 806.

034-041 CH02S1-860053 12/1/04 1:28 AM Page 37

Government, then, was legi-timate only as long as people continued to consent to it. TheDeclaration of Independence, theConstitution, and the ideas behindthe French Revolution all reflectedthis philosophy.

Government in the Colonies

The English founded thir-teen colonies along the east-

ern coast of North America between1607 and 1733. From these coloniesthe present system of Americangovernment evolved. Each Englishcolony had its own governmentconsisting of a governor, a legisla-ture, and a court system. Neverthe-less, the British believed that allcolonists owed allegiance to themonarch. For many years thecolonists agreed.

Democracy grew rapidly in allthe colonies, but it did not yet existin its current form. Women and en-slaved persons could not vote, andevery colony had some type ofproperty qualification for voting.Nine of the thirteen colonies had anofficial or established church, andmany colonists remained intolerantof religious dissent. In Puritan townmeetings, for example, voting wasoriginally reserved for members ofthe community church.

Despite such shortcomings, thecolonial governments did in factestablish practices that became akey part of the nation’s system of

government. Chief among these practices were(1) a written constitution that guaranteed basicliberties and limited the power of government;(2) a legislature of elected representatives; and (3)the separation of powers between the governor(the chief executive) and the legislature. Todaythe United States government embodies each ofthese practices.

38 CHAPTER 2: ORIGINS OF AMERICAN GOVERNMENT

Virginia, settled in 1607, was the first English colony in America. Georgia was the last, in 1733. How were the governments of these colonies similar?

Critical Thinking

Jamestown

NORTHCAROLINA

SOUTHCAROLINA

GEORGIA

Hartford

Philadelphia

PENNSYLVANIA

VIRGINIA

NEWYORK

NEWJERSEY

DELAWARE

CONNECTICUT

MARYLAND

Plymouth

NEWHAMPSHIRE

RHODEISLAND

MASSACHUSETTS

AtlanticOcean

200 kilometers0

200 miles0

New EnglandColonies

MiddleColonies

SouthernColonies

N

Mayflower Compact, 1620

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, 1639

Declaration of Independence, 1776U.S. Constitution, 1789

House of Burgesses, 1619

The Thirteen ColoniesThe Thirteen Colonies

“ Freedom of [people] under government isto have a standing rule to live by . . . madeby the legislative power vested in it; a lib-erty to follow [one’s] own will in all things,when the rule prescribes not, and not to be subject to the inconstant, uncertain, un-known, arbitrary will of another. . . .”—John Locke, 1690

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Written Constitutions A key feature of thecolonial period was government according to awritten plan. The Mayflower Compact1 that thePilgrims signed in 1620 stands as the first exampleof many colonial plans for self-government.

Forty-one men, representing all the Pilgrimfamilies, drew up the Mayflower Compact in thetiny cabin of their ship, the Mayflower, anchoredoff the New England coast. The Pilgrim leaders re-alized they needed rules to govern themselves ifthey were to survive in the new land. Through theMayflower Compact, they agreed to:

“Solemnly and mutually in the Presence ofGod and one of another, covenant [pledge]and combine ourselves together into aBody Politick, for our better Ordering andPreservation and Furtherance of the Endsaforesaid. . . .”—The Mayflower Compact, 1620

The Pilgrims also agreed to choose their ownleaders and to make their own laws, which theywould design for their own benefit.

Beginning in 1629, new Puritanimmigrants settled nearby. Massachu-setts Bay added many towns to theoriginal Plymouth settlement. In 1636the colony adopted the Great Funda-mentals, the first basic system of lawsin the English colonies.

In 1639 Puritans who had left theMassachusetts Bay Colony to colonizeConnecticut drew up America’s firstformal constitution, or charter, calledthe Fundamental Orders of Con-necticut.2 This document laid out aplan for government that gave the peo-ple the right to elect the governor, judges,and representatives to make laws.

Soon after, other English coloniesbegan drawing up their own charters.These documents established a systemof limited government and rule by lawin each of the colonies.

Colonial Legislatures Representative assem-blies also became firmly established in the colonies.The Virginia House of Burgesses, the first legisla-ture in America, was established in 1619, only 12years after the settlement of Jamestown. Farthernorth, the colonists’ religious beliefs played animportant role in the development of representa-tive assemblies. In England, the king appointed the leaders of the Church of England. Puritansrejected this idea. They believed that the membersof each congregation should choose their ownministers and leaders. Many Puritans migrated toAmerica to gain the freedom to organize theirchurches as they chose. As Puritan congrega-tions gained experience in electing their churchleaders and local town officials, they came tobelieve that church members should also elect the colony’s government. In 1636 Puritans inMassachusetts forced their leaders to reorganizethe government so that each town elected two rep-resentatives to the General Court, the colony’s leg-islative assembly. By the mid-1700s most coloniallegislatures had been operating for more than 100

CHAPTER 2: ORIGINS OF AMERICAN GOVERNMENT 39

Political Processes Tompkins H. Matteson painted Signingthe Compact on Board the Mayflower. In the compact thePilgrims pledged to obey the laws passed “for the general goodof the colony.” Why did the colonists feel they needed to draw up the Mayflower Compact?

Forming a Government

See the following footnoted materials in theReference Handbook:1. Mayflower Compact, page 804. 2. Fundamental Orders of Connecticut,

page 805.

034-041 CH02S1-860053 12/1/04 1:29 AM Page 39

years. As a result, representative government wasan established tradition in America well before thecolonists declared their independence from GreatBritain in 1776.

These legislatures dominated colonial govern-ment. The rapidly growing colonies constantlyneeded new laws to cope with new circumstances.

For example, they had to control the distributionof land and construct public buildings and facili-ties such as roads, ferries, and wharves. Thecolonies also had to establish new towns, schools,and civil and criminal courts.

Colonial legislatures were examples of theconsent of the governed because a large number ofqualified men voted. Although there were proper-ty qualifications for voting, land was abundant andmost colonists could afford property.

Separation of Powers Colonial charters divided the power of government. The governor,the king’s agent in the colonies, had executivepower. Colonial legislatures had the power to pass laws, and colonial courts heard cases. Thisprinciple of separation of powers was widelypopularized in Charles-Louis Montesquieu’s TheSpirit of Laws and was later vital to the UnitedStates Constitution. Though colonial legislaturesand courts could be reviewed by a committee ofthe king’s Privy Council, the colonies practicedconsiderable self-government.

Colonial legislatures became the politicaltraining grounds for the leaders who later wouldwrite the Constitution. Many of these leaders wereactive in politics and had served in colonial legisla-tures. Thus, the combination of their English her-itage and colonial experience in representativeself-government made them leaders in what onehistorian called “the seedtime of the republic.”

Growth of Democracy Review the key ideas of the English Bill of Rights outlined on pages36 and 37. Write an essay explaining whichrights granted in the English Bill of Rights arethe most important today. Include reasons for your opinion.

Checking for Understanding1. Main Idea In a graphic organizer similar to

the one below, list three practices that were established by colonial governments and becamea key part of the nation’s system of government.

2. Define limited government, representative government, separation of powers.

3. Identify Magna Carta, Petition of Right, English Bill of Rights, Mayflower Compact, Great Fundamentals.

4. Analyze John Locke’s natural law argument as itapplies to the social contract theory.

Critical Thinking5. Identifying Central Issues The idea of limited

government, first established by the MagnaCarta, is an important principle of American government. Why must government be limited?

Sect ion 1 As s e s s m e n t

40 CHAPTER 2: ORIGINS OF AMERICAN GOVERNMENT

Sect ion 1 As s e s s m e n t

Key Practices of American Government

Best Bird The bald eagle became ournational bird in 1782. What did this raptorhave going for it? The bird is native to theUnited States, and to the Founders itsymbolized courage, strength, freedom, andimmortality. Benjamin Franklin,however, disagreed with the other Founders. He thought the bald eagle was too aggressive and preferred the turkey. After a six-year debate, Franklin was outvoted, which no doubt ruffled his feathers.

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